Saturday, April 16, 2011

I had to look through my older posts, and I found, as I suspected, I had done a review for a Kathryn Cushman book. Yep! She wrote it in first person, which I think all of you know my views on, and Yep! I still liked the book, despite that.

Another Dawn tackles a couple of very difficult subjects. The first of which is who is in control of your life, and on the flip side, who is actually better to be in control of your life. (This particular subject is not one of my favorites. Possibly because it's one I struggle with frequently.) :-) The other is how our decisions affect people around us (both known and unknown), whether we want them to or not.

Grace Graham has basically been given an ultimatum. Her sister said come take care of dad or you're not in the family. The timing works outs because things are getting a little hard for Grace with her job and her fiance', and this is her M.O. Things get hard, so it's easier to run. So she packs up her four-year-old son and heads back home for a couple of weeks. However, when decisions she made years ago begin to come out and affect people in the small town of Shoal Creek, Tennessee, what will she do? Will she face the consequences and stick it out or will she run away again?

I found myself being swayed for and against the heroine, Grace, several times. I could understand this point of view. I couldn't understand why she did this or that. I love books that can do that.

There's a couple of plot lines I would have liked to see develop a little more, like her fiance's roll in the story, and her dad and mom's history within her life, but all in all, I think it's a good book.I don't know that this book will make it to my must read over and over shelf, but I could probably read it again and still like it.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Humanity is coming to its end in a self-destructive pattern. The mission, whether he accepts it or not, is for David Ponder (formerly of The Traveler) to lead the final summit of all travelers from all times to come up with the solution.

Andy Andrews, comedian, keynote speaker, and author of such books as "The Traveler", "The Noticer", and "The Butterfly Effect", has given us a glimpse, once again, into David Ponder's life. David Ponder was introduced to us in the book, "The Traveler", were he learned through time travel, the 7 Decisions to a successful, meaningful life. Once again, David Ponder is able to confer with other travelers, men and women who changed the course of history, to come up with a declaration for mankind that will put them back on the right track. While it is not necessary to read "The Traveler" prior to reading this book, I highly recommend that you do as you will get some insight into being a Traveler.

This book is written in an allegorical (parable) style that is very easy to read. The stories that you will read will move you as you get a glimpse into the lives of extraordinary people. If you love history, this book will knock your socks off.

I have only recently discovered this author and have loved every book I have read by him, anxiously awaiting each book that comes out. I have a hard time reading non-fiction, but can zip through fiction, and Mr. Andrews books allow me the best of both worlds. I get the lessons I need from non-fiction in a style I am willing to read over and over again.

This is a book and author I highly recommend. It is also great for book groups with directional questions at the end of the book.

About Me

My mother tells this story about me at 2 years old. I had a toy box full of toys, but she would always find me with my books out on the floor. I would put them in a line, pick them up, "read" them to myself, then place them in a stack. I would then put them in a circle around me, "read" them to myself, stack them up, and then repeat.
When I was 8, my favorite place was the library. When I was 16, I was reading my textbooks for new reading material. And on and on it goes.
Check my purse on any given day. I'll always have a book in there, just in case.
Now I love to share what I read with everyone in hopes that the books will take you where you've never been before.